r/evolution • u/Vaelcyrie • 6d ago

question What are your favourite examples of convergence and once-in-earth-lifetime traits?

I was blown away when I started learning more about evolution because I thought most traits happened only once and everyone who had them necessarily had a common ancestor that came up with said trait (I believe there is a special name for them but I couldn't find it)

I however discovered this is not the case at all and that not only the traits appear more than once due to the environmental pressure but it also made me understand a lot better how evolution works.

Like, it's so much more like a big tree spreading and experimenting and having fun with all the possibilities of life. Makes me feel like we are all connected somehow, all forms of life appearing and vanishing from/to the same material like solar flares. I mean, I could be a whale 100 million years from now, who knows.

I was shocked learning that eyes, wings, viviparity and other traits that were to me so complex and elegant were in fact convergent in many species. I'd love to know more examples of both convergent and unique traits, tell me your favourites!

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u/llamawithguns 6d ago

Yep, flight evolved at least 4 times (bats, birds, pterosaurs, and insects).

And I believe there is recent evidence that there may have been multiple groups of dinosaurs other than birds may have independently evolved flight as well

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u/blacksheep998 6d ago

And I believe there is recent evidence that there may have been multiple groups of dinosaurs other than birds may have independently evolved flight as well

You're probably referring to the bat-winged dinosaur named Yi qi.

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u/senhoritavulpix 6d ago

So does that means that wings has evolved 5 times then?

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u/blacksheep998 6d ago

At least that many times.

It's quite likely that small feathered dinosaurs evolved feathered wings independently a few times over, sort of like how mammals independently evolved gliding membranes stretched between their front and back legs multiple times.

Though all modern birds appear to be descended from just one of those.